Why Florida's freeze is still costing you at the grocery store
Severe winter freezes in Florida and issues in Mexico caused a sharp increase in tomato prices, a phenomenon some call "Tomatoflation." The national average price for fresh tomatoes hit a record high of $2.689 a pound in April, up nearly 40% from the previous year. Florida's tomato industry suffered an estimated $164 million in losses due to the freezes, impacting a significant portion of its crops. [Source: Tallahassee Democrat]
Florida Trend Exclusive
H-1B limbo
Florida's Board of Governors voted 17-2 to halt new H-1B visa hires at the state's 12 public universities until January 2027, following federal pressure and a new $100,000 application fee. Existing visa holders are untouched, but faculty warn the pause could shrink hiring pools and hamper research. [Source: Florida Trend]
National Hurricane Center tracking tropics. Florida heat, rain expected
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are tracking three tropical waves, one each in the eastern Atlantic, central Atlantic, and eastern Caribbean, but none of them are expected to pose a threat to Florida or the United States for now, according to the 5 a.m. update. No tropical cyclone activity is expected for at least the next week, as we approach the Fourth of July holiday. [Source: Florida Times-Union]
What Florida is sending in a time capsule 250 years into the future
Among the artifacts in a time capsule that will be dug up 250 years from now is a coin representing Gov. Ron DeSantis and a notecard from the Florida speaker of the House. To commemorate America’s 250th birthday, a national nonpartisan organization called America250 asked each state and American territory for items that “reflect the people, places, ideas, and innovations shaping the United States at 250 years.” The capsule, a 900-pound cylinder built by a team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, was sealed earlier this month. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Can you outrun Alzheimer's? This Florida couple thinks so
The 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle Suzette Gregg’s piecing together in her Florida home is no mere pastime — this is part of her prescription for warding off nothing short of a deadly fate her DNA warns of. Tests have shown Gregg, 68, carries a double copy of the gene with the highest risk that genes can indicate for developing Alzheimer’s disease. She is part of a growing number of people who are searching for some way outside conventional medicine to outrun this disease that officially doesn’t leave any survivors. [Source: Florida Times-Union]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› State warns Orlando it could lose millions if proposal to loosen Downtown Historic District rules is approved
The state contends Orlando’s proposal to loosen Downtown Historic District rules runs afoul of state laws and threatens the loss of millions in funding if it is approved. In an email to city commissioners on Friday, obtained by the Orlando Sentinel on Saturday, the state Division of Historic Resources said that if the city passes this ordinance without giving the state 30 days notice, it could lose a certification that enables the city to receive money from the state’s historic grant-funding source.
› Disabled veterans say St. Petersburg VA is discriminating with back-to-work policy
Tampa Bay employees at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs say they’re being forced to make an impossible choice: follow return-to-office mandates against their doctor’s guidance, even if it means enduring debilitating pain, or lose their jobs. Nearly two dozen workers, several of them veterans, told the Tampa Bay Times that the federal agency is discriminating against them by disregarding their disabilities, many of which were caused by their military service.
› Seminole commissioners blast Lynx for rising costs despite fewer routes
Seminole commissioners are furious that Lynx wants to hike costs for its mass transit service — even after the county ditched most of its bus routes last January due to a lack of riders. Now county officials are talking about completely walking away from Lynx and starting their own mass transit program. “I was one of the biggest supporters of Lynx on this board … I am not in that position anymore,” Commission Chair Andria Herr told Lynx CEO Tiffany Hawkins. “If I could get out entirely, I would. Because I think this was punitive.”
› Broward schools’ land shake-up may bring building boom. Next up: $14M sale in Parkland
Broward County could soon be seeing a construction boom on the sites of property now owned by the Broward School District. As the district continues its effort called “Redefining Broward County Public Schools” to manage underenrolled schools and unneeded property, the district has been looking to sell or lease land to help offset budget cuts. The School Board is expected to approve a $14 million deal on Tuesday with Broward Health, where the healthcare provider would purchase 10 acres of vacant property in Parkland to build an outpatient facility and possibly other development.
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› Sarasota archaeology firm marks 50 years preserving Florida's past
Archaeological Consultants Inc., founded in Sarasota in 1976 by archaeologist Marion Almy, is celebrating its 50th anniversary as Florida’s longest-serving cultural resource management company. From projects with NASA to statewide transportation infrastructure and local development, the firm has played a pivotal role in helping Florida move forward with a deeper understanding of the state's heritage and buried history.
› Meet the man behind some of Jacksonville's newest restaurants
Jacksonville restaurateur Mark Janasik's Restaurant & Hospitality Investment Group (RHIG), the company behind Southern Grounds, Alder & Oak, Oaxaca Club and other concepts, is growing into one of Northeast Florida’s most prominent locally owned restaurant groups. At a time when many restaurants are downsizing or closing, RHIG is adding new locations and concepts, including an Italian restaurant, underscoring its growing influence on Jacksonville’s dining scene and shifting how residents experience chef-driven, locally sourced food.
› Yellow tap water to turn clear when new Fort Lauderdale plant opens this fall
For decades, yellow-hued water has flowed from faucets in homes, hotels and restaurants serviced by Fiveash, the 1950s-era Fort Lauderdale water plant that’s way past its prime. But a pricey new water plant dubbed Prospect Lake Clean Water Center is on the rise. And when it opens later this year, crystal-clear water will stream out of its pipes. That clear water will come at a cost: $666 million, which comes to $1.4 billion over the course of a 30-year loan. Water customers will pay the tab.
› Tartan Army taking over South Florida ahead of Scotland vs. Brazil World Cup match
Get ready, South Florida, for an invasion of 20,000 fun-loving, kilt-clad, bagpipe-playing Scotland World Cup supporters known as the Tartan Army. They began arriving over the weekend for Wednesday’s game against Brazil at Hard Rock Stadium and will surely endear locals with their jovial spirit (No Scotland, No Party!), loud singing and philanthropic gestures, as they did in their takeover of the Boston area during the past week. They turned every street into a party, drank pubs dry, sang through traffic jams on 21 rented school buses, serenaded baseball fans at a Red Sox game and donated nearly $30,000 to local charities. They plan more of the same in South Florida.